Find out how popular the last name Goodpaster is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Goodpaster.

Goodpaster, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Goodpaster surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Goodpaster in America

Goodpaster is the 16079th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Goodpaster surname appeared 1,801 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Goodpaster.

We can also compare 2010 data for Goodpaster to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Goodpaster

The surname Goodpaster is an English name that originated in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English words "god" and "pasture," meaning a good or fertile pasture land. The name likely referred to an occupation or a person who owned or worked on good pasture land.

The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hertfordshire county records dating back to the late 1200s. The name appeared with various spellings such as Godepasture, Godepassture, and Godpaster.

During the 16th century, the name Goodpaster appeared in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in the village of Shenley, Hertfordshire. One notable entry was the baptism of John Goodpaster in 1587.

In the 17th century, the name Goodpaster was found in the records of the nearby town of Barnet. The Barnet Parish Register recorded the marriage of Thomas Goodpaster and Elizabeth Smith in 1632.

By the 18th century, the Goodpaster family had established roots in various parts of England. One notable figure was William Goodpaster (1723-1798), a successful merchant and landowner from Gloucestershire.

In the 19th century, the Goodpaster name appeared in the United States, likely due to immigration from England. One of the earliest known bearers of the name in America was James Goodpaster (1812-1890), a farmer from Kentucky.

Another notable individual was Dr. Arthur Vance Goodpaster (1915-2005), an American military officer and diplomat who served as the NATO Supreme Allied Commander in Europe from 1969 to 1974.

Mary Lee Goodpaster (1899-1983) was an American artist and sculptor known for her works depicting rural life in the Appalachian region.

John Goodpaster (1940-2014) was a renowned American artist and sculptor, best known for his bronze sculptures depicting wildlife and Native American subjects.

Overall, the surname Goodpaster has a rich history dating back to medieval England, where it originated as an occupational name related to good pasture land. Over the centuries, it has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including farmers, merchants, artists, and military leaders.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Goodpaster

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Goodpaster.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Goodpaster was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Goodpaster has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Goodpaster was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Goodpaster, please contact us.

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